Sega President Wants To Keep Releasing Physical Games Beyond 2028

Sega Doesn't Plan On Abandoning Physical Releases, Even After PlayStation Does Sega Published Jul 24, 2026, 3:05 AM EDT Josh Coulson is an editor at TheGamer covering breaking news on everything from colorful platformers to the latest Lego sets. Primarily a news writer since 2018, Josh has covered just about every major game from the past decade. Now an editor, their focus has shifted to being the leading affiliate expert at the site, building relationships between TheGamer and global brands including Mattel, Funko, and The Pokemon Company. Sign in to your TheGamer account The end of physical game releases as we know it is approaching much faster than we anticipated. By 2028, PlayStation plans to leave discs behind entirely. That doesn’t mean the studios that release games on its platforms have to, though, and Sega is the first big one to imply it intends to find another way to cater to those who prefer physical games. Sega president and COO Shuji Utsumi was asked by Famitsu how he feels about physical games, pointing to the studio’s strong relationship with physical media that dates back decades (thanks, My Nintendo News). Sega Doesn't Want To Abandon Physical Releases Sega “We were originally a platform provider, and of course, we still value our physical culture,” Utsumi replied. “Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift towards being able to think about and act on the important aspects of digital in parallel.” Not a firm answer from the Sega president on what exactly the studio plans to do when PlayStation pulls the plug on physical games less than 18 months from now. However, a strong implication that, if it can figure out a way to make it happen, and for that way to make sense, Sega will continue to produce physical games on PS5. Sega There are third-party producers of physical games out there that can and will keep releasing physical games after PlayStation has left them behind. Limited Run, for example. Physical video game specialists, and a company Sega has worked with a lot in the past. The easiest route forward for Sega might be to simply release all physical versions of its games through Limited Run, at least on PS5. Physical releases on other platforms are set to continue. Xbox has been suspiciously quiet as fans of physical media have rained down hate on PlayStation, the comment section in the newly revealed Wolverine trailer becoming the latest battleground. At the very least, it seems Xbox has plans for a disc-to-digital system that provides those who buy physical copies of games with a digital copy to match. Game-Key Cards Don't Seem All That Bad After All Nintendo Nintendo seemingly has no plans to leave physical releases behind. Its solution has been game-key cards. An unpopular workaround that actually feels like the lesser of two evils following PlayStation’s bombshell. The cards are empty and simply trigger a download when inserted into the console. Not ideal, but far better than a code in a box. There are ways Sega can continue to release physical games on PS5 into 2028 and beyond. The real challenge will come when PlayStation releases the PS6. This move to an all-digital future heavily implies PlayStation’s next console won’t have a disc drive. That means, unless PlayStation also has plans to usher in some sort of disc-to-digital system, there will be no way to play physical games on its next console. Date Founded June 3, 1960 CEO Hajime Satomi Subsidiaries Sonic Team, Rovio, Relic Entertainment Headquarters Shinagawa City, Tokyo, Japan Known For Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Super Monkey Ball